Van Soest, H. “Peer-to-Peer Electricity Trading: a Review of the Legal Context”

The paper “Peer-to-Peer Electricity Trading: a Review of the Legal Context” (Van Soest, H.) will be presented at the 7th Conference on the Regulation of Infrastructures (21-22June, 2018). 

ABSTRACT

The peer-to-peer (P2P) trading of electricity is a recently developed transaction in the electricity system. In a P2P electricity trade, two equal market participants, in most cases prosumers, conclude a contract for the trade of electricity. This paper provides a review of the legal context of P2P electricity trading, with a focus on European energy law. We conclude that the current legal framework remains based on the traditional electricity system, with a strong vertical supply chain and a firm producer-consumer distinction. As a result, the legal framework is unadapted to the P2P electricity trading and needs to be reviewed.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Henri van Soest is a researcher in energy law at the University of Oslo. His research focuses on prosumer participation in the electricity grid and the electricity market. Henri obtained a Double Degree LL.M. from KU Leuven (Belgium) and Universität Zürich (Switzerland), focusing on European law, financial law and company law. During his studies, he conducted field research in Peru on the effects of the special market mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol. Before joining the University of Oslo, Henri interned in the General Secretariat of BNP Paribas Fortis, the largest bank in Belgium, focusing on corporate governance and corporate social responsibility. He also worked in London as a junior analyst at the Cleantech Group, a leading market analysis firm for clean technologies, where he co-authored the flagship Global Cleantech Innovation Index (GCII). He is the founder and editor-in-chief of the AfterOil blog, which maps the societal, economic and technological aspects of the transition away from oil.